How K.J. Costello’s decision to return affects Stanford’s outlook

K.J. Costello threw for 3,540 yards and 29 touchdowns in his first full season as Stanford’s starting quarterback. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Photo: Tony Avelar / Associated Press

K.J. Costello’s decision to forgo the NFL draft was welcome news for the Stanford football team, which faces one of the nation’s toughest schedules next season.

Just how seriously the redshirt sophomore quarterback considered turning pro after just one full season under his belt remains a mystery.

All he said in a tweet Wednesday night was: “I look forward to continuing my athletic and academic career at Stanford University. Stanford is a special place. I’m excited to get after it with my brothers in 2019.”

He might have been tempted to go pro. By most accounts, this year’s draft is light on quarterback talent — even if Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, the Heisman Trophy winner, turns pro as expected. Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, a redshirt sophomore, is likely to be the first quarterback drafted, with Missouri’s Drew Lock and Duke’s Daniel Jones possible first- or second-round picks.

In his first full season as the starter, Costello threw for 3,540 yards and 29 touchdowns. Only Steve Stenstrom has thrown for more yards in a season at Stanford (3,627 in 1993). Andrew Luck holds the school record for TD passes in a season with 37 in 2011; he also had 32 in 2010.

A big fish is landed for 2020 class

Besides K.J. Costello’s return, there was more good news for Stanford this week: Five-star offensive tackle Myles Hinton announced he verbally committed to join the 2020 incoming class.

He missed most of his junior season at Greater Atlanta Christian High School in Norcross, Ga., because of a shoulder injury. He started as a 14-year-old freshman, when he protected the blind side of quarterback Davis Mills, now a redshirt freshman at Stanford.

In the future, Hinton (6-foot-6, 310 pounds) might be blocking for Mills again. Hinton is expected to compete for a starting job soon after he arrives.

His older brother, Christopher, is a five-star defensive tackle who has signed with Michigan for next fall. The Wolverines were Myles’ other finalist. He also had offers from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC, among many others.

Their father, Chris Hinton, played 13 years in the NFL as an offensive lineman, mainly with Indianapolis. He was drafted by Denver with the fourth overall pick in 1983 and quickly was traded to the Colts as part of a deal for Stanford QB John Elway.

“Myles’ potential is unlimited,” his high school coach, Tim Hardy, told The Chronicle. “He’s a classic offensive tackle: long arms, huge frame, outstanding feet, a lot of room for growth. He was a state champion in the discus, and he’s just figuring it out.

“He’s really a renaissance man. He’s an accomplished artist. His sketches and drawings are on display at the civil rights museum in Atlanta. He’s an avid fisherman. He’s a young man with a variety of interests. He wants to major in human biology. He’s a perfect fit for Stanford.”

Had Costello turned pro, the leading candidate at quarterback would have been redshirt freshman Davis Mills, who has a history of knee injuries. The only other scholarship quarterbacks are freshman Jack West and junior Jack Richardson.

Tanner McKee, who signed last year, is on an LDS mission and won’t arrive until 2020. Stanford didn’t sign a quarterback as part of its 2019 class.

The overhauled offense will be sternly tested by one of the toughest schedules in the country. In addition to expected Pac-12 North contenders Washington and Oregon, the Cardinal will face heavyweights Notre Dame, Northwestern and Central Florida. Notre Dame made the College Football Playoff semifinals; Northwestern reached the Big Ten title game, and UCF has gone undefeated in the past two regular seasons.

Here’s an early look at how the rest of the 2019 Stanford roster shapes up:

Running backs: Cameron Scarlett is expected to start, although he’ll get stiff competition from Trevor Speights and Dorian Maddox. Austin Jones (Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland) very well might join the mix as a freshman. Houston Heimuli is the most experienced fullback.

Wide receivers: At this point, the likely starters are Michael Wilson and Connor Wedington, who redshirted in 2018 because an injury limited him to four games. Osiris St. Brown and 6-foot-4 Simi Fehoko will see plenty of action, and Elijah Higgins and Colby Bowman might play as freshmen.

Tight ends: Colby Parkinson should be an All-America candidate and Scooter Harrington and Tucker Fisk will be back, mainly as blockers. Taeveon Le, a redshirt freshman, and incoming Bradley Archer (Livermore) will provide depth.

Offensive line: Starting left tackle Walker Little returns, along with Foster Sarell (limited to three games in an injury-hampered season) and Devery Hamilton, both of whom can play guard or tackle. Center Drew Dalman and guard Dylan Powell are also in the mix to start, and incoming tackle Walter Rouse also could be in the running.

Defensive line: Thomas Booker, named the top lineman as a freshman in last month’s Sun Bowl, will lead a pack that includes Michael Williams, Jovan Swann and another freshman, Andres Fox. Incoming Stephen Herron Jr. and Joshua Pakola (St. Francis) might play immediately.

Linebackers: Without Okereke and possibly Sean Barton, who might not come back, the starters on the inside figure to be redshirt freshmen Jacob Mangum-Farrar and Ricky Miezan, with converted safety Andrew Pryts as a backup. The outside group is in much better shape with Casey Toohill, Jordan Fox and Gabe Reid returning and Curtis Robinson and maybe Tristan Sinclair (San Ramon Valley-Danville) providing depth.

Secondary: Cornerback Paulson Adebo made the FWAA All-America second team as a freshman. The other starting corner is likely to be Obi Eboh, although Ethan Bonner, Kendall Williamson and Treyjohn Butler will be contenders there, unless somebody is moved to safety. Incoming Salim Turner-Muhammad could be the next Adebo. Safeties Frank Buncom and Malik Antoine are back, along with possibly Ben Edwards, who played just three games because of injuries.

Kicker/punter: Jake Bailey, the lead-footed punter and kickoff man extraordinaire, will be gone. Jet Toner, an accurate field-goal kicker, might add kickoff duties, although newcomer Ryan Sanborn could be another Bailey as a punter and touchback-machine on kickoffs.

Tom FitzGerald has been the Stanford beat writer for The San Francisco Chronicle since 2009. He also covers men’s and women’s basketball and many other Stanford sports.

He also covers motor sports in the Bay Area and wrote about the America's Cup regatta in San Francisco in 2013, during which Oracle Team USA made one of the greatest comebacks in sports history to beat Emirates Team New Zealand.

Among the many momentous games he has covered were the 49ers' victory over Dallas in the 1982 NFC Championship Game, which featured "The Catch'' by Dwight Clark, and the U.S. hockey team’s 1980 Olympic upset of the Soviet Union in Lake Placid, N.Y. At the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, he rode the bobsled run with members of the U.S. team for a first-person story. He also rode on Russell Coutts’ Oracle Team USA catamaran in 2012 and in an Indy car with legendary Mario Andretti in 2014 for other first-person stories.

For 15 years he wrote a popular sports humor column called "Top of the Sixth" (later re-titled "Open Season"). A weekly version of the column was nationally syndicated in as many as 50 daily newspapers.

He has a degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts. He lives in Benicia.